


you'll miss me when you're home

by rocketshiptospace



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-21
Updated: 2013-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-26 09:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketshiptospace/pseuds/rocketshiptospace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’re so close but at the same time they’re miles apart. Berlin wall!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	you'll miss me when you're home

**Author's Note:**

> for the challenge of infinite earths day 23: pre-21st century. had so much fun writing this though :)

It’s winter 1958 and Louis is in love.

War is long over and even though there are still some unresolved problems between the Soviet Union and America and it’s a cold winter, but Louis has Liam to keep him warm so he really can’t complain.

He remembers the careful touches and the polite smiles and how that all changed to hugs and cuddles and eventually kisses and he wants to cry from happiness.

But it’s dangerous times to be in love with men, so Liam and Louis keep in on the down low, no touches in public, no lingering smiles.

But when they’re alone, when it’s just Liam and Louis, they let all boundaries go and just love, love, love.

Louis is starting to believe he could actually spend the rest of his life with Liam. It would be a weird life, having to try and hide their love for each other, but Louis realizes he would risk it, he would risk it all for Liam.

But then disaster strikes.

On the twelfth of august, 1961, Louis gives Liam a last kiss before he rushes out of the door with a shout of “See you tomorrow, babe!”

On the thirteenth of august, Louis wakes up because he hears shouting outside his window. Groaning in annoyance, he rolls out of bed to see what the commotion is about.

What he sees makes his heart clench and his hands shake.

A few feet away from him, in the middle of the same road he walks down almost every day towards Liam’s house, is a line of barbed wire. On the other side are soldiers, complete with stern looks and creepy looking guns.

Louis trips over his own feet to get to the radio and see what’s really going on.

He doesn’t even know how long he stays there, curled up in a ball in front of the radio, letting the words wash over him.

“Chroesjtsjov and Ulbricht have decided to build a wall right through Berlin to separate East from West to prevent further escapes from the East to the West.”

“West Berlin completely shut off from the rest of the BRD.”

“Everybody trying to cross the border will be shot.”

Eventually he gets up when the phone rings persistently for the fourth time.

“Yes?”

“Oh thank god Louis, you’re home!” He hears his mother voice shout down the line.

“I.. yes. Yes, I am home. You’re all save too?” Louis asks.

“Yes, yes everyone is home right now. There was a tense moment when we thought aunt Maggie was still in East, but she’s here, thank god. We’re fine. We’re all fine.”

Louis chokes a little when she says that. “Not all, mom.”

“Oh god no, dear, please don’t tell me it’s true.” His mother responds when it starts to dawn on her. “Please tell me he’s with you.”

Louis lets out a sob. “He’s not, mom.” He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. “Liam is still in East.”

—

He tries to contact Liam, tries to cross the border, tries everything, to see Liam again, but it doesn’t work.

1962 starts without Liam by his side. Louis never had such a shitty new years eve.

In the horror of it all, in the pain of missing Liam and the fear for what’s going to happen, if he will ever even see him again, he meets new people.

First there’s Niall. He’s from Ireland and he’s hyper as fuck and half of the time Louis doesn’t even know what he’s saying but he’s a great laugh and he can really hold his liquor.

The next one is Harry.

Oh, Harry. Looking at his dimples and sparkling green eyes and bouncy adorably curls, Louis realizes he probably would’ve fallen in love with Harry if he hadn’t known Liam first.

Because even though Louis knows that there’s a very small change the wall will disappear soon, that the change that he will ever see Liam alive again gets smaller by the day, but he has this little spark of hope in his heart that makes him refuse to move on.

Life goes on and Louis tries not to think about Liam too much.

He fails.

He grows older, more responsible, more reasonable and a part of him thinks that maybe it is time to let Liam go and find someone else, settle down, maybe have a few kids, but he just can’t find himself to actually do it.

At one point he realizes he doesn’t even want to love anybody else anymore, he just wants Liam.

He cries the entire night when he realizes that even though he will probably always wait for Liam, Liam might not wait for him.

Niall pats him on the back and hands him another beer and Harry sends him an apologetic look with those huge deer eyes and Louis smiles slightly, because even though he might not have Liam, he still has these two, and they won’t leave.

It is 1989 and things start to change. It’s not suddenly, things have been changing for awhile now, but it’s not until now that Louis starts to notice.

And then it’s summer and Hungary opens his borders and millions and millions of East-Berliners flee, and Louis hopes and prays Liam is one of them.

Then it’s October and Gorbatsjov visits East-Berlin and Louis hears about the protest and the fights and the little spark of hope that has been tucked away in a corner of his heart lights up again, consumes his heart and makes him glow.

Please, please, please, he begs. Please let East-Berlin be free.

On the evening of November 5th, 1989, Louis goes to bed alone.

On the evening of November 6th, 1989, He wraps his arms around Liam’s solid torso, breathing in his scent, clinging on to him like he’s never going to let go.

He feels Liam press kisses to his hair and whisper ‘I love you’ over and over again and it feel s like a dream, like it can’t be true.

Liam talks, tells him about the years that he missed, the years Louis was on the other side of the wall. Louis lets him talk, lets Liam voice seep into his skin, treasures every word.

They still have so much to catch up on, so many stories to tell.

But they have the time. They have until forever, if it’s up to Louis.

—

It took them 27 years, but they’re finally back together again.


End file.
